Temperature regulating system



Dec. 22, 1953 B. G. COPPING 2,663,493

- TEMPERATURE REGULATING SYSTEM Original Filed May 12, 1947 3Sheets-Sheet 1 26 2 THf/ZMOS T4 T/(J fizz/E17: 0T

Dec. 22, 1953 B. G. COPPING 2,663,498

TEMPERATURE REGULATING SYSTEM Original Filed May 12, 1947 3 sheets-Sheet2 Elm .[HVEHLUTW 1 Brace 6700 0 0139 Dec. 22, 1953 B. COPPING 2,663,498

TEMPERATURE REGULATING SYSTEM Original Filed May 12, 1947 3 sheetsfsheet3 p EXP? SID/V ZUVEHZ 0P Era 0e (i c'op z'zg Patented Dec. 22, 1953TEMPERATURE REGULATING SYSTEM Bruce G. Cupping, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio,assignor to Don Manufacturing Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation ofIllinois Continuation of application Serial No. 747,470,

May 12, 1947.

1951, Serial No. 242,245

2 Claims.

This application constitutes a continuation of my copending abandonedapplication U. S. Serial No. 747,470, filed May 12, 1947.

This invention relates generally to ventilating apparatus and moreparticularly to a forced air ventilating system including a temperatureconditioner having a plenum chamber receiving pressurized temperatureconditioned air for selective delivery to a plurality of spaces, theflow of air to each space being regulated by an individualthermostatically controlled damper, and a control device to regulate thetemperature conditioner including a static pressure element responsiveto variations in static pressure within the plenum chamber, whereby theadvantages of an averaging out control system are obtained.

Heretofore, the only ventilating systems which have afforded theadvantages of an averaging out arrangement have required the provisionof complex control systems suitable for large installations such as arefound in hospitals, schools and other large public buildings.

According to the general principles of the present invention, atemperature conditioning unit such as a furnace is provided with aplenum chamber receiving pressurized temperature con ditioned air. Aduct carries the air from the plenum chamber to each space to beventilated and a thermostatically controlled register or shutter in theduct controls the quantity of temperature conditioned air delivered tothe space in response to temperature variations in the space. Thetemperature conditioning unit is regulated by a control mechanismoperable within a predetermined adjusted temperature range and having astatic pressure device sensitive to variations in static pressure withinthe plenum cham-- her to change the temperature of the air in the plenumchamber in response to the static pressure variations in the plenumchamber.

Since the individual registers respond to temperature variations withinthe particular space with which each register is associated, thevariation in static pressure within the plenum chamber of thetemperature conditioning unit will adequately reflect an averaged outtotal requirement in the ventilating system, which total requirement isnecessarily dependent on many variables including atmospherictemperature, wind losses, and other heat transfer factors.

The arrangement thus provided affords an optimum operating condition fora small forced air temperature conditioning system such as is frequentlyused in small residential type ventilating systems. The automaticmodulation of the tem- This application August 17,

' fore, to provide a simplified ventilating system having the advantagesof an averaging .out control system and particularly suited forinstallation in ventilating systems of small capacity.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a controlapparatus for a ventilating system which controls the temperatureconditioning unit in response to variations from a predetermined staticpressure reference level,

A further object of the present invention is to provide a highlysimplified and economical averaging out control system for a forced airventilating system.

Many other advantages, features and additional objects of the presentinvention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon makingreference to the detailed description which follows and the accompanyingsheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodimentincorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way ofillustrative example.

On the drawings:

Figure l is a diagrammatic view of a temperature conditioning systemincorporating the principles of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an elevational view of a shutter unit or register which maybe employed in accordance with the principles of the present inventionand is shown with parts in cross section to demonstrate how the shutteris thermostatically controlled;

Figure 3 is a somewhat diagrammatic view showing a warm air heatingfurnace of the forced air type with piping connections to the spaces tobe heated, together with a pressure regulating system of one typecontemplated by the present invention;

Figure 4 is an enlarged side elevational view of one preferredstructural embodiment of a regulating mechanism provided in accordancewith the principles of the present invention;

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view of the control shutter as shownin Figure 2;

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary cut away 3 elevational view of thefurnace shown in Figure 3 and the temperature regulating mechanism;

Figure 7 is a somewhat schematic diagram of an air cooling systemconstructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;and

Figure 8 is an enlarged side elevational view of the regulatingmechanism provided as one preferred embodiment in accordance with theprinciples of the present invention.

As shown on the drawings:

In Figure 1 is shown a ventilating'system in which the spaces to beventilated are indicated at in and 22, respectively, these constituting,for example, the separate rooms of a home. The temperature conditioningunit of the ventilating system is indicated as comprising a furnace Itfor supplying temperature conditioned air to the rooms is and i2 and mayinclude, for example, an oil burner it to which fuel and air aresupplied by a unit i8 conventionally including an oil pump, an airblower and a driving motor.

The furnace it is provided with a plenum chamber 55 which receives thepressurized temperature conditioned air. A duct 22 carries thetemperature conditioned air from the plenum chamber 55 to the space itand a duct 2s carries the temperature conditioned air from the plenumchamber 55 to the space i2, each of the ducts 22 and 2d being controlledby a thermostatically operated shutter unit indicated generally at 2%.

Figures 2 and 5 show one type of shutter unit suitable for thermostaticoperation, whereby how of heated air may be admitted to spaces it andi2, in response to temperature variations therein.

A .shutter 38 suspended under tension and torsionally loaded by supportmembers including twisted elements 38a and tension chord 33b is rotatedon an axis til whenever a thermostatic device of the type havingelements displaceable in response to temperature variations andindicated by legend, changes the tension on the shutter and causes theshutter to seek a new position of equilibrium.

Air from the space associated with the shutter unit is aspirated pastthe thermostatic elements in the direction shown by the arrows (Figure2) by an aspirator structure surrounding the thermostat andcommunicating with the duct.

" For additional details of construction of such a shutter arrangement,reference may be had to my copending application U. S. Serial No.708,224, filed November '7, 1946, now Patent No. 2,523,497 and U. S.Serial Nos. 25,837 and 25,838, both filed on May 8, 1948, now issued asPatent Nos. 2,423,498 and 2,423,499,

, It will be apparent upon referring to Figure 1 that each of thethermostatically controlled shutter units 26 will respond to thetemperature variations in the individual spaces is and i2 according tothe variable heat transfer factors which aifect the heat lossesexperienced by the ventilating system. Thus; as the shutters arerespectively opened and closed, the movement of air from the plenumchamber [5 into each of the spaces and [2 will be automatically variedso as to change the static pressure within the plenum chamber l5. It maybe noted, therefore, .that the quantitative value of the static pressurein -the plenum chamber is a function of the total averaged shutterposition and is representative of the total averaged system temperatureconditioning requirement. q

I In accordance with the principles of the present invention, thisphenomenon is advantageous- 1y exploited to control the temperature ofthe temperature conditioned air flowing from the plenum chamber i5 intoeach of the spaces is and [2 as a function of the changes of staticpressure within the plenum chamber i5. To effeet this end, a controldevice is indicated in Figure 1 by the reference character C which isprovided a thermally sensitive element T to maintain the air in thebonnetit within a predetermined temperature range. The control device Cis further provided with a static pressure element P in the bonnet i5responsive to variations in static air pressure in the bonnet 55 tocontrol automatically the temperature gradient between the bonnet l5 andthe spaces i0 and I! in response to the static air pressure variations.The control device C, of course, is placed in control of the unit it.

In order that the principles of the present invention may be moreclearly understood, a specific structural embodiment of the principlesofthe present invention will be described. Figure 3 shows a warm airheatin system in which the spaces to be heated are indicated at l0 andI2 by a furnace E i having an oil burner l6 supplied by a unit it. A fan20 is provided to force pressurized air into the bonnet. Air flow fromduct 22 into the space it is controlled by a thermostatically operatedshutter unit 26. Similarly, air from duct 2d passes through athermostatically controlled shutter unit 26 to space I2. Exhaust airfrom spaces it and i2 passes to inlet duct 30 from pipes 32 and 34!respectively and thus travels to fan 20 to be recirculated through thesystem. Inlet duct 30 may be in communication with outside air vent 35which provides fresh air for the system to supplement the air circulatedtherein.

As the outside air temperature, occupancy of the building, outside windvelocity, or other fac-- tors alter the heat requirements of the spacesIt and [2, the shutter units 26 open and close in an effort to maintainconstant air temperatures in the spaces. As a consequence of this fact,the air pressure in the bonnet E5 of furnace I4 rises or falls due tothe variations in the resistance of the shutters and shutter units 26 tothe escap ing air. Thus, for example, if the outside air temperaturerises so as to decrease the heat requirements of spaces Hi and i2, theshutters and shutter units 26 close to reduce the hot air flow theretoand cause correspondingly increased resistance to the escaping air andan increased air pressure within the bonnet 15 of furnace l4.Conversely, if the outside wind velocity, for ex ample, should increaseso as to cause increased leakage of cool air into spaces it and I2 andgreater heat losses through the walls of the build ing, the shutters andshutter units 26 open to increase the hot air flow thereto and causecorrespondingly less resistance to the escaping air and reduced airpressure within the bonnet 15 of furnace M. I f

In the embodiment of Figure 3, the co firm mechanism is indicatedgenerally at 42 and comprises a bellows 5 3 connected on its inside forcommunication with the bonnet [5 of furnace 5.4 by pipe 92. The bottomplate 48 of bellows is connected to arm 56 which rotates mercury switch52 to control the application of power to the motor of pump l8 andthereby to control the pressure within the bonnet of furnace I 4. Thiscontrol is achieved by interrupting the applicafl 5 tion of electricpower from leads I and I22 to unit I8, this power beingderived from asuitable source of electromotive force connected to terminals I2I andI23.

In Figure 6, the numeral 54 represents a bimetallic thermostat controlelement comprising a coil 55 attached at one end to the housing offurnace I4 and at the other end to rod 56 so as to rotate that rod inaccordance with the temperature of the air in the furnace bonnet regionI5. The rod 56 extends through the furnace I4 and terminates in fork 60,which is best seen in the enlarged elevational view of Figure 8. Leverarm 62 is connected to the slot 64 and fork by pin 66. This lever arm isfurther supported from the housing of furnace I4 by pin 68 which ridesin slot 69 of arm 62 and is supported on lever arm 50. The latter arm isrotatably supported on bracket III by pin I2. At the opposite end of arm62, pin I4 is provided to secure a rotatable attachment thereof withlever arm I6. Lever arm I6 is connected through pin I8 to arm 80 whichrotatably supports mercury switch 52 from bracket 82.

The above described elements operate to control the temperatureconditioning unit or furnace I4 in accord with the air temperature ofthe bonnet I5 to maintain the temperature within a predetermined rangeof temperature values.

Thus, for example, if the air temperature in bonnet I5 rises above theupper limit of this range, fork 60 is rotated by shaft 56 in acountor-clockwise direction as seen in Figure 8, thereby tending torotate lever arm 62 in the counterclockwise direction about pin 68 andcausing similar counter-clockwise motion of lever arm 80. This causesthe mercury drop 84 within switch 52 to roll away from electrodes 88 and88 to interrupt the electrical connection therebetween and deenergizethe temperature conditioning I8. On the other hand, if the airtemperature in bonnet I5 decreases below the lower limit of this range,the reverse action takes place. In this case, the arm 80 is rotated inthe clockwise direction to cause mercury drop 84 to roll in thedirection of electrodes 86 and S8 to establish an electrical connectiontherebetween. Thus, the mechanism operates to open and close the switch52 in accord with the temperature in bonnet 58 and maintains thetemperature therein within a predetermined range of values.

The temperature at which the bimetal element 54 closes the circuitbetween electrodes 86 and 88 and a temperature at which it opens thiscircuit are not to be seen for the reason that frictional opposition tomotion of the mercury ball 84 and movement of the linkages, togetherwith lost motion in the mechanical system, requires that bimetal element54 execute a certain amount of motion before that motion is reflected incorresponding opening or closing of the electrical circuit betweenelectrodes 86 and 88.

In Figure 4, the bellows 4e are shown in the position corresponding toincreased air pressure within bonnet I5 over the value corresponding tothe view of Figure 8. This increased pressure extends bellows 44 todepress plate 48 and rotate on 58 in the clockwise direction about pinI2, thereby swinging pivots S8 and I4 in the right hand direction, asshown in Figure 4, and tilting switch 52 in the clockwise direction.This causes mercury drop 84 to travel toward the end of switch 54opposite electrodes 85 and 88, thereby disconnecting these electrodesand deenergizing the unit IS when the fork 50 remains in the positionshown in the dotted lines of Figures 4 and 8. It is thus evident, thatincreased air pressure within the bonnet I5 causes the motor of the unitI8 to be deenergized even though the temperature within the bonnet I5remains the same.

It will be evident that the fork to must rotate to a new position, suchas that shown by the dotted lines, to cause mercury drop 84 to roll tothe end of switch 52 to cause contact between electrodes 86 and 88.Conversely, the fork 60 must assume still another position to cause themercury drop 84 to disconnect contacts 88 and 83. Thus, the effect ofbellows 44 is to alter the positions of fork 60 corresponding toenergizing and deenergizing of the unit I8. As these positions aredetermined solely by the temperature within the furnace bonnet, therange in temperature automatically maintained by operation of thecontrol system is altered in accordance with the pressure within thefurnace bonnet I5, therefore, the air temperature in the bonnet I5 willbe decreased as the air pressure in the bonnet I5 rises.

In Figure '7, the principles of the present invention are applied to anair cooling system. In this embodiment, leads I25 and I22 lead to motorI24 which is operatively connected to compressor I26 to compress arefrigerating fluid which is subsequently cooled in cooler I28. Thefluid then flows to expansion valve I36, through cooling coil I32, andthen returns to the compressor I26. It will be understood that thecooling coil I32 can be located in the bonnet I5 of a temperatureconditioning unit so that air passing therethrough is cooled. The otherportions of the temperature conditioning system are similar to thosepreviously described except that the individual shutters controlling thesupply of conditioned air to each of the spaces It and I2 would bearranged to open upon increased temperatures therein and close upondecreased temperature and the switch 52 would be arranged to open andclose in response to pressure vari ations in the bonnet for coolingoperation.

It will be observed that the mechanism of the present invention acts tosupply air to the spaces heated or cooled, the temperature of the supplyair differing from the temperatures in the spaces ventilated indirection to compensate for the heat transfer therefrom or thereto.Moreover, in each system, the diiierence between the temperature of thesupply air and the temperature in the spaces is increased as the amountof air called for by the automatic control shutters rises. Thus, thesystem acts to increase the heating or cooling value of the supply airin accord with the pressure variations occurring in the plenum chamberof a temperature conditioning unit, or in other words, in accordancewith the quantity of air demanded by the shutters controlling the airsupply to the separate spaces.

Although it is contemplated that various structural modifications mightbe suggested by those versed in the art, it should be clearly understoodthat I do not wish to be limited to the illustrative details which havebeen necessarily described herein for the sake of clarity but wish toembody within the scope of this invention all such modifications asreasonably and properly coine within the scope of my contribution to thear I claim as my invention:

1. A regulator for use in an air temperature conditioning system of thetype wherein a pluswitch to shift said switch between said first 110- vsition and said second position, a temperature sensitive elementdisposed partially within said source and pivotally connected to saidarm to control the position thereof in direction to maintain thetemperature of said conditioned air within predetermined limits, andbellows in communication with said source to control the position ofsaid fulcrum to shift said arm to alter the temperature of said sourcein direction to increase the temperature differential between saidsource and said spaces as said bellows collapse.

2. A system to supply conditioned air to a plurality of spaces includinga source of temperature conditioned air, said source having anelectrical mechanism to condition said air, ducts in communication withsaid source and said spaces, shutters automatically to control the airflow through said ducts to maintain the air tem=- perature in saidspaces at predetermined values,

a switch in control of said electrical mechanism shiftable to a firstposition whereby said mechanism is energized and a second positionwhereby said mechanism is inactivated, a lever arm pivotally supportedat a fulcrum and operative ly connected to said switch to shift saidswitch between said first position and said second position, atemperature sensitive element disposed partially within said source andpivotally connected to said arm to control the position thereof indirection to maintain constant the temperature of said conditioned air,and bellows in communication with said source to control the position ofsaid fulcrum in direction, said bellows being disposed to increase thetemperature difi'erential between said source and said spaces as saidbellows collapse.

BRUCE Gr. COPPING.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

